octopus bite.

what does an octopus (or squid) bite feel like? does it hurt? do you need medical attention? i used to have parakeets and they would bite me occasionally. no big deal, cause they never broke the skin. i'm wondering if it's the same feeling? i guess it depends on the size of the octo... ever been bitten?

The bite from the small octopuses kept as pets, such as o. bimaculoides (bimac) is not significant. It's something like a bee sting or wasp sting. The octopus's beak will break the skin, but the bite is tiny. Unless you happen to be allergic to the venom, you won't require medical attention.

Larger octopuses have larger beaks and more venom, and their bites are more signigicant. The treatment reported seems to consist of very hot water on the wound.

Blue ringed octopuses are a different matter - they inject a powerful venom with their bite that can paralyze and kill a person. Medical treatment is required in order to save bite victims.

It does really depend on the species and of course individual susceptability. I've been bitten twice by O. warringa And the pain was definitely out of proportion to bite size! It was like a wasp or hornet sting and was still painful 3 weeks later, but no I didn't need to go to the doc!

Still I think, as with all animals that carry venom, octi's and squid should be treated with respect, after all you don't know if you're allergic til you're bitten and that's the hard way to find out!